Movie / TV Does anyone remember??

[battleshipbob]

I have been trying to remember the name of a movie that has some loosely based on fact parts to it. I think it starred Doug McClure. It starts off with some commandos breaking in to a German facility to take out a German scientist who is important to the Hitlers A-Bomb project. They get captured and sent to some castle. McClure comes along as the token American and they start building a glider in the top of the castle. Somehow the scientist ends up in the P.O.W. camp and He and McClure use the glider to escape.
Anyone have any ideas?? It had a prominently British cast.


P.S.
I remember a show either on the History Channel or the Discovery Channel where they actually built the glider that movie used. There was an actual glider being built in a P.O.W. castle but it was never finished. Which ever channel it was, used the same materials that would have been available to POW's and made the glider. When they tested it, it flew!!!

 

[Drone_pilot]

colditz ?

 

[battleshipbob]

That may have been where the real glider was built. I don't think that is the name of the movie though.

 

[Frisbee]

There were two movies about this the first one made in the 1950's sometime was named "The Colditz Story" but the one your thinking about BSB is "The Birdmen" which was a 1970's something TV movie with Doug McClure.

 

[battleshipbob]

Thank you Bill, that title does sound familiar now.

 

[John A Silkstone]

Hi battleshipbob

This is the information you wanted. For Movies go to www.imdb.com In the top left of the page is a search box, select Movie title or actor and you will receive all the info you want.
Silky sal;

They used to boast there were only two ways to escape from Hitler's Beckstadt prison... to die...or to sprout wings

Plot Summary for Birdmen, a TV movie Also Known As: Escape of the Birdmen

During World War II, American soldier Harry Cook is sent to Norway to aid in the defection of a scientist working on the atomic bomb for the Germans. Before they can escape Europe, they are captured and sent to a POW prison camp in a high alpine castle on the German-Swiss border. Cook must find a way to escape with the scientist before the Gestapo discover the Norwegian's true identity. Cook convinces the other prisoners to build a two person glider that can fly to Switzerland. The race is on to complete the glider before the German guards discover the plane, and the Gestapo catch up with Cook and the scientist.

Credited cast:
Doug McClure.... Major Harry Cook
Rene Auberjonois.... Halden Brevik/Olav Volda
Richard Basehart.... Schiller
Chuck Connors.... Colonel Morgan Crawford
Max Baer Jr..... Tanker
Don Knight.... Focus Flaherty
Tom Skerritt.... Orville 'Fitz' Fitzgerald
Greg Mullavy.... Sparrow
Barry Brown.... Donnelly
Paul Koslo.... Davies
Genadii Biegouloff.... Bridski
Rolf Niehus.... Helmut Weber
Peter Hellman.... Konrad
Karl Swenson.... Gunter
Karl Bruck.... Chef

 

[battleshipbob]

Thanks Silky! sal;